Tag Archives: Big Four

The Ian Griffiths Collection. An archive film from the collection of Ian Griffiths portraying scenes of British Railways in the last ten years of steam from 1958 to 1968. Our film covers every region with many types of locomotives that existed during this period. We include some rare types ranging from small 0-4-0 tank engines to express engines which are not usually seen on archive videos produced today. We feature the London termini including Kings Cross, Euston and Waterloo. Many locomotive sheds are visited from East Anglia, South Wales, Nine Elms and Scotland. Rail tours are seen over the Waverley Route and from Paddington to North Wales. On the Southern Region we visit Guildford in 1964 and the Isle of Wight in 1965. On the Midland Region we visit Wellingborough, Leeds and Bescot. The Western Region is visited at Oxford and Dan y Graig, the Eastern Region at York, Retford and Cambridge. There are even some scenes on the Bedford to Hitchin line showing the making of the film “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines”. Finally, after the end of steam we see some views of LT pannier tanks at Neasden, preserved steam on the main lines in the 1980s and a visit to Dai Woodhams scrap yard at Barry. Overall a 90-minute memory of how it really was once.
This all colour film has excellent detail and locations. It has been mastered with an authentic sound track and has an extensively researched, detailed and informative commentary.

A nostalgic look back to London’s termini for the Big Four in the 1960′s and on lines radiating from them. We begin at Euston, 70032 departs on the “Comet” and first generation diesels 10201/2 on the “Royal Scot”. At Marylebone, we go north to Chorley Wood with 2-6-4 tanks, Rickmansworth for a B1. Growler No.11 of London Transport leads us to Neasden and the work of LT’s pannier tanks at Croxley and Farringdon. A Britannia and Patriot are at St.Pancras with Scot and Jubilee. Next door was King’s Cross and the East Coast main line to Hatfield. This section is full of A1, A2, A3 and A4 pacifics, V2, WD and B1 all appear in the early 1960′s. Next, the Great Eastern from Liverpool Street, through North London and east to Colchester and Ipswich, Britannia, J15 and even a D16 4-4-0. Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness with 2-6-4 tanks. Over to Paddington and the Western main line to Reading via the Marlow branch, Castles, Halls and auto-tanks. At Reading we meet the Southern Railway. Return to Waterloo via Feltham for S15 and Q1, Clapham for M7, ex-GWR pannier tanks, W Class and Fowler tank. A Schools and Lord Nelson appear before nostalgic views of Beattie well tanks and an H16. See what a 1960′s railway enthusiast and all the cockney sparrows witnessed on a visit to England’s Capital City.

The Southern Railway was the smallest of the “Big Four” but its locomotives could hold their own against anything on the other three and in some cases certainly out-perform them. This video shows them in action from film shot by Jim Oatway in 1961 and 1962 when although Bulleid Pacifics were the main players on the Southern scene, after all there were 140 of them, the last of the Lord Nelsons, King Arthurs and Schools were still at work.

We see them on the ex-LSWR route out of Waterloo on weekdays and summer Saturdays, on expresses and Basingstoke semi-fasts. Alongside this action, freight to and from Feltham and Nine Elms yards was worked by Maunsell S15′s, Bulleid Q1′s and the inevitable U and N class Moguls.

A visit to Feltham shed shows us in great detail the massive H16, G16 and W class heavy tank locos, not just a glimpse but long detailed views you can appreciate.

The rural charm of the Hayling Island Branch and workings on the Isle-of-Wight in 1962 at Ryde lead into never to be repeated scenes of Haywards Heath when the famous “Bluebelle” specials ran with preserved motive power on the main line using locos T9 No.120, Caley Single No.123, “Birch Grove” and the Adams Radial No.488.

There are nine sections in this film starting with LNWR 790 “Hardwicke”. This remarkable veteran stretched her legs for a short time in the 1970s. Colin White followed her. On one trip to York double-heading with “Flying Scotsman” he was even in 4472′s cab for part of the journey offering an almost unique filming opportunity. Other scenes see her in action in the Lake District. Heaton Mersey, coded 9F, with a study of Stanier’s 8Fs coming and going on this shed in its last months of operation where manual work on the coal stage was the order of the day. The fascinating crane tanks at Doxford’s ship yards near Sunderland offer us another form of locomotive. Filmed in 1970 they work hard around the yard before returning to the shed for a lunch break which used to lead to complaints from road users of smoke nuisance.. and what smoke! This is followed by more unusual locomotives in the guise of narrow gauge articulated types. Fairlies on the Ffestinog are followed by Saxon-Meyers in East Germany with transporter wagons and the amazing Herberlein brake; engines sporting a steam operated bell. The Mallett articulated engine is next studied again in Germany where 0-4-4-0 tanks work hard in the snow. Finally to Portugal for some 2-4-6-0 Mallett tanks around Regua and the smaller 0-4-4-0 types at Porto. An A4 meets an unrebuilt Bullied in 1967 when 4498 visited the Southern, ah! the charm of the chime. Returning to the continent for a few minutes to sample super power with a potted look at 2-10-0 types in Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Double headers in the snow and a train with 3 2-10-0s as motive power. Even if your loyalties lie with the Big Four you cannot but help marvel at the power of some of these continental giants and in some superb locations. Back to our shores 6115 “Scots Guardsman” had two main line outings in 1978 from Dinting to York. Both occasions were captured before she disappeared from the scene to hopefully re-emerge in the 2000′s. We cover the Isle-of-Wight in Volume 21 and will do so in later productions but this section is a tribute to the last day railtour on the 31st.December 1966 when the LCGB visited the island. The tour featured the Class 02 tanks which were at the time the oldest locos in BR stock. Finally a few Bullieds act out their last duties around Bournemouth and Poole including 34001 and 34100.

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